“Impact Venture Capitalists!”

Morning Team…

Impact Club, for presenters, is meant to be a learning experience. It is also meant to be a learning experience for each member in the audience. Because story should be applied to everything. Business. Fundraising. Startups.

Parenting.

And learning the science to be able to craft a message. It’s structure, to be influential. To be able to deliver that story with conviction, as compelling performance, is a skill that will serve you in every endeavor. I didn’t get into medical school, largely, because I couldn’t compelling-engage the committee.

Knowing what I know now, that would not be the issue.

From Sherry Higgs, Executive Director at DFS: Drivers for Survivors. Although she wasn’t the majority vote winner. She did learn these lessons. In her words, after presenting during the Union City event:

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Hi Remy and Ryan,

Thank you very much for the opportunity to share my/DFS story. The structure was a new experience for me and the concept is wonderful. It will help many. I will run by our Board whether they can allow me to join the group and perhaps others will follow suit. As a small, yet growing, nonprofit – our budget is tight.

The experience did teach me a few things:

1) It is not only a story you are sharing – it is also a bit about the organization. My understanding was that the nonprofit summary given ahead of time was where the details of the organizations were laid out and that we were only to share a story but it seemed the others incorporated in their organization details into their presentations in bigger ways. The DFS board member and her husband that accompanied me felt I did not speak enough to DFS and that created a hole for the audience in fully putting the impact of the story/stories and what DFS does together.

I could see their point. If the opportunity arose again, I would do differently.

2) Everyone is a winner by merely being selected

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The truth is, story is a funny thing. Like comedy, you only really know what resonates with people by “testing” your material. Great comedians like Chris Rock, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart are famous for crashing an open mic, only to jump on stage, test a few jokes – did they get any laughs? – then leave…

To put together an HBO Special – is a year long process.

Impact Club, like an open mic for great comedians, gives charitable founders a platform to “test” their material. And once dialed in, to where it really resonates with people, they become the majority vote winner.

Impact Club isn’t just about donating money to fund our local charities.

It’s about developing SKILLS – to be influential.

Which gets us to another Installment of “StoryEngine” Secrets – see IMPACT #3

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So for starters – what makes a great StoryEngine?

With multiple Impact Club Events taking place in the next few weeks. First, on July 11th in Cookeville TN, then on July 12th in Northern VA. I want to hit on this topic; so presenting charities could benefit.

See IMPACT #3 – Scroll down – for that secret. 🙂

UPDATE: That image above, is one partial mock-up of the media site where all our Speaker and Event videos will be posted – so the world can see and hear – the Impact that you ALL are responsible for. Be proud!!

Challenge The Audience

Meet Rob Sheer, founder of Comfort Cases. If that name sounds familiar, it may be that you saw him on Ellen recently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjI-lAeonqI

About 2 months before that, though, Rob stood on an Impact Club stage and delivered his story with conviction to Impact Club Northern VA. In a landslide vote, Rob, for Comfort Cases, won the $15,100 donation.

He did something that was risky, but executed it brilliantly.

He challenged the audience.

This is Rob:

Below is the transcript:

PS: Did you notice Ellen’s words? 5 seconds in. “Their story is one of the reasons I love my job.” Do you really think Rob would have been on Ellen, had he not figured out how to tell his story in a compelling way? Hell no.

Story – my friends – impress upon your kids its importance!!!

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[Rob Scheer – transcript]

I carried this from the time I was 10 until I became homeless as a senior in Stonewall Jackson Senior High School. Every single day of my senior year I carried this. Nobody spoke to me, nobody talked to me, but I was a foster child right here in Prince William county.

When I turned 18 and I graduated from high school, I entered the service and I threw that away, and I said, you as a community will not define me because of my trash bag. I made something of myself, I became a successful businessman, and I never looked back at Prince William county, because guess what? You forgot me.

Eight years ago I adopted four kids in foster care, and they entered my home carrying trash bags. Are you kidding me? It had been 30 years, and we still allowed a kid to carry a trash bag. My 16 month old, my two year old, my other two year old and my four year old, they had nothing but torn and tattered clothes, and I said, as a leader, I can’t stand by the sidelines and watch this happen, I’ve got to get into the game and win.

So I started a charity, I started a charity called Comfort Cases. I wanted to make sure that every child in foster care made sure that they realize as a community, we did want them. See that’s the only thing kids want, is they want to be wanted. So we make sure they get a brand new pair of pajamas, it’s very important. My daughter didn’t smile the entire day on her first day with us, until she tore the tag off her brand new pair of pajamas.

We make sure they get a toothbrush. My child arrived in my home with eight cavities at the age of four, because no one gave her a toothbrush. These pearly whites, these pearly whites cost me almost a year’s salary, because you didn’t make sure I had a toothbrush. I make sure every child in foster care has a toothbrush. A bar of soap, you don’t think a bar of soap is important? Go to the hotel, call the maid service and tell them to leave the bar of soap from the people before you. Lather your body up with it. We make a child in foster care do that every single day, and by the way, they don’t even know what their family’s name is. It’s called dignity. We do this as a community.

We make sure they get a book, because I’m going to tell you right now, the only thing that separates us is not our skin color, but the level of our education, remember that. And then the very last thing we put in there is a blanket. Why a blanket? Do you think they’re cold? No. We put a blanket in there because I promised my children, that every single time a child in foster care puts a blanket around them, they know as a community, we care. They know as a community, we love them, but most important, they know as a community, they’re wanted.

See, community was only built for one reason, and it wasn’t built for you to live in a nice house. It wasn’t built for your bushes to all match. It was built for you and I to take care of each other. And if you truly are all leaders, then get in the game and play. 464,000 children are in foster care. 71% of the girls that are in foster care are going to be pregnant by the time they’re 21. 1.6 million people were incarcerated with your tax dollars last year. 1.2 million are touched by foster care. You tell me the system’s not shattered.

That’s my story, thank you.

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Notice: Rob didn’t present mind-numbing facts or data. Nor did he just speak words that he had prepared. His story? He made us feel it. He challenged us. Those in the audience, “I did that to you?” – I forgot you?….

Rob is the kindest person you’ll ever meet. But when he stepped on that stage, he was fighting for something.

If he failed…

Kids like him, would suffer. He knew the stakes. He understood them.

And he made us (the audience) understand them too!

People voted. He won!

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Note: This secret applies to business owners and parents too. Just delivering advice isn’t enough. To win hearts and minds, to stop people/kids, to really get them to think, requires us to reach our target’s deepest levels. If we don’t fight for our message, then why should anyone listen or care?

My Point:

THIS WORLD NEEDS MORE GREAT STORYTELLERS.

Keep up the fight.

UPCOMING IMPACT CLUB EVENTS

July 11th – Impact Club Highlands (TN)

July 12th – Impact Club Northern (VA -3rd Event)

July 25th – Impact Club Conejo Valley (CA – 2nd Event)

July 27th – Impact Club Temecula (CA – 3rd Event)

Aug 22nd – Impact Club Frederick (MD – 3rd Event)

Sept to be announced soon…

KEEP INSPIRING OTHERS!

By the end of 2017, we will have raised millions to fund local charities.

-Ryan Fletcher

Co-Founder, Impact Club – forever Grateful.

PS: Encourage everyone you know to learn the Language of Story. If they do, life, business, fundraising, relationships, the attraction of opportunity, clients, money, love, etc. will be much easier for them.